For example, Dove joined the battle against the objectification of women
through its "Real Beauty" campaign, hoping
cause marketing would do the trick with millennial consumers, but the pitchforks came out
immediately after it released
a series of six body wash bottles modeled after the shapes of women's bodies.

Another example is the firestorm Bud Light ignited when it launched its "Up
for Whatever" campaign. The effort was meant to appeal to a young
demographic, but the
pitch soured when the brand declared itself "the perfect beer for removing 'no' from
your vocabulary.” The campaign created a PR nightmare with critics accusing
Anheuser-Busch InBev of tacitly endorsing date rape.

For Bud Light and Dove, previewing their campaign with focus groups from
their audience could have been the difference between angry mobs and happy
customers.

Here are four questions for testing your millennial outreach campaign:

1. Does your message connect with your audience?

There is no better way to know how millennials (or any target audience)
will react to your marketing than to ask them directly. When Progressive
Insurance wanted to home in on its message, it used online insight sessions
from the iResearch platform to test
storyboard concepts.

This approach is quick and affordable, and allows you to leave your
corporate bubble to reach millennials where they are: online. In a focus
group session, keep the conversation flowing and customer-focused. Don't
debate participants who don't like your message—find out why it bothers
them and whether others feel the same way.

2. Is your message different from everybody else’s?

Millennials can't stand cookie-cutter brands. According to research by the
University of Southern California,
85 percent of them prefer personalized goods and services. Not every message can be
personalized, of course, but they all should tap into a relevant emotional
niche.

An example is Pedigree’s 2007 “Dogs Rule” campaign. The company donated funds from every purchase to shelter dogs
across the country find their forever homes. Consumers appreciated the
company’s commitment to the cause, helping Pedigree’s advertisements become
40 percent more effective.

3. Is your messaging consistent?

Millennials
crave consistency. You might be able to deliver stellar results every now and then, but
Millennials want brands to consistently connect with them.

Differing messaging or visual branding between different messages can
undermine trust in readers who receive both, and trust is the bedrock of
loyalty. You might blanket social media with compelling posts and flood
email inboxes with heart-wrenching messages, but that effort will be wasted
unless your messages are consistent.

Consistency also leads to authenticity. Companies with major followings—
like Apple—incite passion because they’re better than competitors at
establishing trust. That trust can lead to big sales as customer loyalty
can mean consumers are
five times more likely to buy a product or service. They’re also more likely to try a new product and refer others to the
brand.

4. How are you measuring the campaign’sresults?

It takes years to establish trust with consumers, but good will can be lost
in a flash. It’s crucial to follow up on qualitative research with a
quantitative survey. Smart researchers know that quality and quantity
aren’t mutually exclusive—they should work in tandem.

Just as with all other marketing, the key to reaching your audience is
dialogue. Millennials may profess to hate advertisements, but what they
really can't stand is being left out of the conversation.

Darshan Mehtais the founder and CEO of iResearch, an online insights platform that enables companies to extract
insights from consumers or employees worldwide.